Posted on 04/12/2011 7:55:27 AM PDT by bkaycee
Can a born again Christian be a member of a cult and be involved in idol worship? I once thought this was an impossibility until it happened to me. Now I understand why Jesus warned us that, in the end times, there would be an appearance of great signs and miracles that would deceive even the elect, if possible. I confess I have been seduced by signs and miracles associated with apparitions of Mary, and I offer my testimony so others may be warned and delivered.
Until recently I was serving as Director of Public Relations for the Queen of Peace Center in Dallas, Texas. This non-profit organization disseminates information and messages from Marian apparitions in Medjugorje and around the world. I co-authored a full page ad that was published in the June 25, 1993, Dallas Morning News at a cost of $10,000. This add announced "Mary's" prescription for peace and listed locations of her recent appearances. It also listed phone numbers to call for up-to-day recorded messages of Mary's latest apparitions, such as the one in Dallas (214) 233-MARY. I once thought it was special to be the only non-Catholic on the Queen of Peace board . . . that is, until I met Mike Gendron and his wife, Jane.
A Divine Appointment
Neighbors and close friends of mine knew I was seriously contemplating becoming Roman Catholic. They told me that Mike had been a Roman Catholic for 37 years and was now a pastor at a non-denominational church in the Dallas area. They said he understood many of the issues involved in being Roman Catholic and could help me with my decision. I looked forward to meeting both Mike and his wife, not for my sake, but for theirs. I felt certain the information I had collected about "Our Lady's apparitions" in Medjugorje would surely lead them back home to the "true" (Roman Catholic) church. Providentially it appeared, I attended a Queen of Peace board meeting the night before we met and asked the board to pray for this lost pastor and his wife, who had fallen away. When I arrived at their door the next morning, I first introduced myself, before returning to my car for the large stack of books and newspapers I had brought to persuade them. The materials would help explain what was happening in Medjugorje and how the Virgin Mary would help change their lives.
Confronted by Contradictions
After we met, they showed me a film titled Catholicism: Crisis of Faith. This film lovingly and objectively contrasted how the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church contradicts the teachings of the Sacred Scriptures. Mike would stop the film after each segment for my questions and comments. Initially, I was argumentative and felt uneasy and rather adamant about what I was witnessing. Mike realized he had forgotten to pray before starting the film and asked if we could ask God to make His truth clear, and that all deception would be exposed. After the prayer my whole countenance changed.
Each question I asked, Mike validated his answers using Vatican II documents and an official Roman Catholic catechism. It was amazing to me how Roman Catholic teaching contradicts the very Word of God. Question after question, he would bring the Bible over to me and knell to show me verses in context. His servant's demeanor and patient, understanding heart helped in unraveling falsehood after falsehood. There wasn't a question I could have asked him that would have provoked anger. As a reflection of our Lord, this man allowed Jesus to pull the scales away from my eyes.
There were three things in the film and our discussion that were most alarming to me. First, a church in South America has Mary placed on a crucifix rather than Christ. It reminded me of my visit to Our Lady of Guadeloupe Cathedral in downtown Dallas where Mary is positioned as the focal point at the alter and the crucifix is placed in another part of the church. These two scenes made me realize idolatry is practiced within the church.
Second, the Roman Catholic Catechism by Rev. William Cogan, now in its 44th year of print, has altered the 10 commandments of God. The 2nd commandment given to Moses reads, "You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or in the earth beneath or in the water under the earth" (Exodus 20:4). The Roman Catholics have deleted this commandment but still came up with ten by splitting the 10th one into two separate commands. "You shall not covet your neighbor's good; and you shall not covet your neighbor's wife" (Exodus 20:17). I was reminded of the scriptural warnings for those who add to or subtract from the Bible.
Third, Mike told me the only place in the Bible in which the queen of heaven was referred to was in the Book of Jeremiah. He encouraged me to study the passage and it would expose another false doctrine concerning Mary. Anyone who is familiar with the prayers and meditations of the rosary can tell you that in one of the mysteries Christ supposedly crowned Mary the queen of heaven after she was assumed into heaven. Neither of these events have scriptural validity, but I had decided to blindly accept these doctrines because all of the other meditations on the life of Christ were verified by Scripture.
The Queen of Heaven
After returning home, I looked in the Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible for the passage in Jeremiah 44. Here, the Lord was angered by the wickedness of the people choosing to serve other gods. The people refused to listen to the Lord. Instead, they would "burn sacrifices to the Queen of Heaven and pour out libations to her." The woman "made for her sacrificial cakes in her image and poured out libations to her?" (Jeremiah 44:17, 19).
In Hebrew the word for queen has reference to "the heavenly handiwork" or "the stars of heaven." The reference might be to Ishtar, the goddess of love and fertility, who is identified with the Venus Star and is actually entitled "Mistress of Heaven." (The Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible, p. 975)
My head was spinning and filled with questions after reading this. Doesn't Mary usually appear with stars for her crown? Who then is the woman in Revelation 12:3-6? And most importantly, why would the Roman Catholic Church give the mother of Jesus the title of a pagan goddess? Had I been promoting the ministry of a pagan goddess whose messages were inconsistent with the Bible? Indeed her messages do contradict the Bible. In fact, she speaks of another gospel, another plan of salvation that nullifies and opposes the all sufficient sacrifice of Jesus. The apparition of Fatima said, "You have seen Hell where the souls of poor sinners go, so save them, God wishes to establish in the world, devotion to my Immaculate Heart." The apostle Paul condemned anyone, even an angel from heaven, who would dare preach a different way to be saved other than through the life, death, and resurrection of Christ (Galatians 1:6-10).
As for the woman described in Revelation, she is not Mary, the mother of Jesus, but God's chosen people, the Jews. When the passage in chapter 12 is read in context with the rest of the book, and Genesis 37:9-10, this clearly refers to the nation Israel. God fulfills His promise to the Jews, by protecting them in the desert during 3 1/2 years of tribulation.
I later realized my prayers to Mary and the saints, the reciting of rosaries and chaplets of divine mercy, and the wearing of Marian medals and scapulars had taken my focus off of Jesus. I had allowed doctrines of the Roman Catholic church to do the very thing Saint Paul warned against, "But I am afraid, lest as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds should be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ." (2 Cor. 11:3).
An Angel of Light
Recently, a person whom I love dearly, and who has a "Marian devotion" asked me, "Why are you bothering the people who are already good people instead of worrying about those who are lost?" The answer came to me the other evening as the Lord continues to guide me through His sacred Word. Saint Paul wrote that "Satan masquerades as an angel of light" (2 Corinthians 11:14). We know the mother of Jesus would never oppose her Son, and since the apparitions do just that, they could very well be Satan masquerading as Mary. Saint Paul also wrote, "Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them . . . everything exposed by the light becomes visible" (Ephesians 5:11-14). Therefore, I feel called to expose these attempts by the evil one to divert people's devotion away from Jesus. The most authoritative way to do this is with the light of God's Holy Word. My new test for truthfulness is -- if it does not agree with the Scriptures then it must be rejected.
Freedom in the Truth
Now that I have torn down the altar in my bedroom, where I knelt and prayed to St. Anthony of Padua each night, and now that I have placed my rosaries, scapular and medals away, I have found a new freedom. The truth really does set people free! I have found special peace in knowing Jesus alone is my Savior, and not co-redemptrix with His mother. The Holy Spirit continues to lead me into all truth and is now the only teacher I need (1 John 2:27).
To all my precious friends who I have encouraged to seek Mary and to obey the misleading messages of her apparitions, I pray these Scriptures would minister to you -- "And it came about while He said these things, one of the women in the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, 'Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts at which you nursed.' But He said, 'On the contrary, blessed are those who hear the Word of God and observe it." (Luke 11:27-28)
This article was submitted by a former Director for a "Mary, Queen of Peace Center."
Wow! You just proved it! You hate peaceand desire war! You congratulate yourself on division and would be concerned with fellowship!
There really is no difference between some soi-disant Christians and Islam. They call their God of hatred by different names, they have a different Holy Book to justify their rejection of beauty, equity, unity, and love.
Just wow!
I won’t say this is a deal BREAKER, but it does imperil the deal. This is serious. I can’t believe you think this and read my paper on Truth!
I'd love to see you answer this rhetorical question of yours.
On second reading, I see even more on this post I'd like to comment on. You make it seem like it is an errant Catholic belief that Jesus is God. Then there's this line:
And Mary gave birth to Jesus and is rightly called the mother of Christ, then by Catholic reasoning, she is to be called the mother of God because Jesus the Christ is God.
I notice how you say it is right to call Mary the mother of Christ, but then say it is Catholic reasoning that she is to be called the mother of God because "Jesus the Christ" is God. Hmmm...
I'm sorry if that doesn't jump through the hoops of those who claim to say works don't matter but then impose exigent shibboleths on ejaculations of faith.
The good news of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Hey, I’d much rather believe the Eucharist from Christ’s own words than your UFO sect with it dominion of aliens.
Your sect stands condemned by its own words.
Quix, what sect are you in?
Also, is the UFO stuff part of their beliefs, or is it only something you believe in personally?
Thanks for your ping.
IMHO: The differences between Calvinist and non_Calvinists on God and man are so stark that I wouldn’t call it a “united faith.” Closer to different religions.
This and the issues such a baptism also illustrate that disunity and the core problem of sola scriptura to having a truly unified Body of Christ.
Let’s start a sidebar on how and when ignorance is culpable and when not. There’s a lot of willful ignorance and a lot of negligent ignorance among our interlocutors.
That is the most generous construction possible on their falsehoods.
No, Quix has already said just what I conjectured: any truth that might make for peace is to be avoided — because what really matters is enmity.
Let’s start a sidebar on how and when ignorance is culpable and when not. There’s a lot of willful ignorance and a lot of negligent ignorance among our interlocutors.
That is the most generous construction possible on their falsehoods.
No, Quix has already said just what I conjectured: any truth that might make for peace is to be avoided — because what really matters is enmity.
***
The differences between Calvinist and non_Calvinists on God and man are so stark that I wouldn’t call it a ‘united faith.’
***
Or there’s been a kind of visceration of language. One group describes the tenets of another as damnable heresies. Then they claim “unity”.
EITHER heresy means something trivial, OR “unity” means something trivial, OR this claim means something trivial.
I’m afraid that’s not allowed, because that would be “mind reading.”
“One group describes the tenets of another as damnable heresies. Then they claim “unity”.”
They are like the Muslim Sunni and Shia. The Arabic saying is very apt: The enemy of my enemy is my friend.
Very primitive.
*Guess that’s why standard latin phrases are forbidden and common English usage is not understood.
Yes, there is a reason. In the history of the Church, the Church had to combat various heresies about who Jesus is, who God is, what the Incarnation was, etc. Through the early Councils we arrived at what we now know as the Orthodox Christian Faith concerning Jesus, the Incarnation and the Holy Trinity.
During this time, as part of combatting heresy on the nature of Our Saviour, the dogma of the Mother of God was declared as opposed to those teaching contrary to the Orthodox Faith who wished to call Mary, Mother of Christ. Chief among these heretics was Nestorius.
In the eighth century, St. John Damascene compiled a summary of Church dogma. Below is the portion relating to your post.
But we never say that the holy Virgin is the Mother of Christ(4) because it was in order to do away with the title Mother of God, and to bring dishonour on the Mother of God, who alone is in truth worthy of honour above all creation, that the impure and abominable Judaizing Nestorius(5), that vessel of dishonour, invented this name for an insult(6). For David the king, and Aaron, the high priest, are also called Christ(7), for it is customary to make kings and priests by anointing: and besides every God-inspired man may be called Christ. but yet be is not by nature God: yea, the accursed Nestorius insulted Him Who was born of the Virgin by calling Him God-bearer(8). May it be far from us to speak of or think of Him as God-bearer only(9), Who is in truth God incarnate. For the Word Himself became flesh, having been in truth conceived of the Virgin, but coming forth as God with the assumed nature which, as soon as He was brought forth into being, was deified by Him, so that these three things took place simultaneously, the assumption of our nature, the coming into being, and the deification of the assumed nature by the Word. And thus it is that the holy Virgin is thought of and spoken of as the Mother of God, not only because of the nature of the Word, but also because of the deification of man's nature, the miracles of conception and of existence being wrought together, to wit, the conception the Word, and the existence of the flesh in the Word Himself.…An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith by St John Damascene
I really have no interest in argument for argument sake.
That’s their ‘fail’ reasoning’ at work, again.
True dat.
The interesting question is what is the object?
Unfortunately pondering that is against the rules too.
:)
Thanks for your reply.
D-fendr, I am not so sure that metmom shares the orthodox beliefs about Jesus with us.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.